CRT Displays to TFT Displays

CRT Displays to TFT Displays

Apart from never having to look at a curved screen ever again, there are a couple quantitative reasons for
moving towards flat panel displays. The most concrete of which is the power savings which can be
had. At only 25watts during normal operation, and 3 watts during
standby, the 570V TFT is power-sensitive, and produces drastically less heat than a similarly
sized CRT. While this factor may not matter much to an individual person in the
home environment, on the large office scale this could translate into lowered power and air conditioning bills.

The next reason why flat panels are considered
better than CRT displays is size. A 15" TFT display has about the
same screen area as a 17" CRT, but the screen is only about 3" thick.
Desk space has always been a commodity, and freeing up more of it is always beneficial.

Lastly, we have screen clarity. Flat panel displays offer a very sharp image in comparison to their
CRT fellows, especially for text. Personally speaking, I also find them a
lot easier on the eyes when working for long hours. Text is very
sharp, and they display panels have progressed to a point where 16.7million colours are supported.
Radiation issues, however slight they might be with CRT displays are also completely negated with LCD displays.

As flat panels become more
and more popular their high cost will
hopefully begin to come down much further. For most people, paying almost a thousand dollars for a
display is a difficult decision to justify. In a way the gradual
movement towards flat panel displays parallels that of the transition from 56k modems
to cable for internet access. As someone around here once said to me, "once you
go cable you never go back." I would have to say the same thing about TFT displays.

Now, lets move on and check out the features of the SyncMaster 570V TFT display.

The Full Specs:

Size (or Panel
Size)

15 inches

Pixel Pitch

0.297 mm

Brightness

200cd/m2

Contrast Ratio

250:1

Viewing Angle

55° / 55° / 60° / 60°

Horizontal Max (KHz)

61 kHz

Vertical Max (Hz)

75 Hz

Bandwidth (MHz)

80 MHz

Max. Resolution

1024 x 768

Colour

16.7 M

Input Signal Type

Analog RGB (15 pin D-Sub)

Pivot Enabled

N/A

OSD

Multi-language supported

Multi-media

External (user option)

Plug & Play
Standard

DDC 1/2B

Power (Max)

25W

Power Management

Regulation

ENERGY STAR / NUTEK

USB

Hub (user option)

TV Tuner

Picture in
Picture

Safety

UL, CSA, CB, NEMKO, TUV

EMI

FCC, CE, C-TICK, VCCI, BSMI

Low Radiation

TCO 99

Dimensions
(WxHxD)

385.4 x 366.7 x 168 mm

Weight

5.7 kg

Warranty

3 years on parts and labor

There are several important aspects to
look for in the specs of a flat panel display. The first is the contrast
ratio. The larger the ratio, the better the display panel.
Anything above 200:1 is quite good, and more than sufficient for most of us.
The 570V has a contrast ratio of 250:1. Next comes the brightness measurement. The
panel used in this display has a brightness of 200 cd/m2 which is
about the norm for computer displays of this type. The highest brightness rating
we've seen, just to give that number some scale, sits around 250cd/m2, and the lowest around
150cd/m2. Notebook displays for the sake of comparison can have brightness ratings in
the low hundreds. Lastly, viewing angles come into play. The short of
the long with these numbers is that the greater the angle, the better
the display.